Embracing the hype

11:57 PM,
May 17, 2010

Written by

Jim Lamar
Democrat Sports Editor

It's not a burden. It's not a distraction. It's not even an inconvenience.

The summer hype leading to his senior season is something Christian Ponder talks about with a smile and a nod of disbelief — if not a rush of adrenaline.

For the first time in a decade, the Florida State football program enters the offseason with a bona fide Heisman Trophy candidate. And Ponder, a few months away from the beginning of his third season as FSU's starting quarterback, seems perfectly content to soak up this experience. ...